Heartless
by SweetlyDesolated
Summary: AU. A young boy meets an invisible girl. She follows him and is eventually revealed to be real. Features Slytherin!Harry. Oneshot.


**Title:** Heartless

**Author:** SweetlyDesolated

**Rating:** K+

**Includes:** Slytherin!Harry, unfeeling!Harry, hating!Snape, manipulative!Dumbledore

**Summary:** AU. A young boy meets an invisible girl. She follows him and is eventually revealed to be real. Features Slytherin!Harry.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter and anything related, just the plot line.

* * *

Age 10

Harry glanced up from his location, hidden underneath a bush and away from Dudley and his cronies. A girl was before him, also on her belly, though her feet were in the air and crossed at the ankle. Her head was propped up on her hands as she stared at the boy before her.

The boy tilted his head. He had never seen this girl, and he thought she must be new. For her to not have heard the rumors around the schooling compound was unusual, for Dudley was one to find the new children and instruct them away from his "trouble-making cousin."

Harry marked his place in his book and closed it, laying his hands over the back cover protectively. The girl was young, about his age Harry guessed. She had light, nearly transparent hair which glinted in the small amount of sunlight filtering through the branches of the bush.

_Hello_.

He started; her lips hadn't moved, and yet the voice was young and girly.

_I apologize for startling you_.

Harry glanced around, checking to see if someone else was talking. There was no one there. He returned his attention to the girl. Her lips were turned up in a small smile as Harry became wary.

_What's your name?_

He responded, "Harry," to her question.

_Harry. It was nice to meet you_.

Something snapped behind Harry, causing him to shift his attention. Again, there was nothing where he looked. When he returned his attention to the girl, she was gone.

~~~~o~~~~

_Hello again, Harry._

He jumped and shifted in his chair. Luckily, the class was busy and no one noticed his abrupt movement. The girl was back, sitting in the chair next to Harry that had been unoccupied. No one ever sat next to Harry of their own free will, too busy listening to Dudley and shunning the young Potter.

"Hi," he whispered, his mouth barely moving as his lips formed the small word.

_I am sorry for taking so long to see you again._

Indeed, the girl's first appearance had been weeks ago. Harry, filled by sudden hope at the thought he had a friend, was crushed when he never saw the girl after that one meeting. Seeing her here, now, brought feelings of anticipation to his small chest. "It's okay," Harry told the girl. He still didn't know her name.

_You don't need to know my name, Harry. That would complicate things, and things are simple. I like simple._

The statement was confusing, and once again Harry tilted his head. The girl smiled, displaying white, strait baby teeth. There were no gaps between them. He smiled back and was about to reply when the teacher called for order. He faced his teacher as he listened to directions. When the lady was done, Harry shifted once more to the girl.

The chair next to Harry was empty.

~~~~o~~~~

Age 11

_Happy birthday, Harry._

He spun to face the girl and smiled at the bright expression on her face. It was the only birthday wish he had gotten, as school was out for the summer and his relatives couldn't care less. "Thank you," the shy boy replied.

_Are things simple?_

Harry nodded. "They are simple."

_That is good. I hope you have a good birthday, Harry, even if your relatives are horrible, and lie to you._

A horn squealed down the street, drawing Harry's attention. He dismissed the noise after seeing who had caused the racket. When he looked for the girl, he was unsurprised to see her gone. He masked his hurt expression. Yet again, she was gone.

~~~~o~~~~

_Don't be prejudiced._

Harry, by now excellent at masking his emotions when the girl appeared before people, merely dipped his head, unnoticeable to the giant of the man muttering on about the Dark Lord and the evil Slytherin house. Hagrid continued his one-sided conversation as Harry listened to the girl.

_They are people, too. They have the same goals as everybody. They merely reach them through different paths, paths others frown on. Don't take things as you hear them, Harry. Learn to see them for yourself, make your own opinions. _

Now that Harry knew of the magical world, he wasn't distracted. He saw her disappear soundlessly. Hagrid never gave any sign he saw the girl.

~~~~o~~~~

_This is where you belong._

Harry stood uncertainly in the Slytherin common room. A few of the older years were watching him with blank, hidden faces, and the younger ones flocked together, off to one side. Professor Snape had glared at Harry until the boy backed away, far enough to be out of the man's line of sight and yet close enough to hear his speech.

_They will learn you are like them. It will take time, Harry, but you are strong. You were raised to be independent, regardless of what these fools think. Just remember that, Harry._

She was gone. The unnamed girl never stayed long enough for Harry to talk to her anymore, though it was enough for Harry to notice she aged as he did, even if she was younger than him.

~~~~o~~~~

Age 12

_That's the wrong order. _

He let the ingredient drop to the side of the cauldron and picked up the one next to it, adding that one to the concoction instead. Malfoy, next to Harry, sneered at the small second year and progressed further with his own potion. Though they lived together for ten months a year, their animosity hadn't diminished in the least, not since Harry had rejected the hand of friendship in first year. When they were placed in the same house, Draco didn't help Harry at all, still holding his grudge.

_Everything will work out in the end. Be strong, Harry, and continue your silent confidence. Your independence is what makes you important, Harry, regardless of how you are treated. You will succeed. Remember, the basilisk can be found in the girl's bathroom. Don't let anyone else know when you control it. She shall be yours, Harry, loyal to you._

She blinked from Harry's sight, and the small, malnourished boy continued with the potion, alone and quiet.

~~~~o~~~~

Age 13

_You are free, Harry._

He jerked his trunk behind him as he walked, the girl beside him though not touching. They never touched. "Why?" he asked.

_They can't touch you, and no one else cares. Dumbledore is too involved with the coming war. He thinks he was wrong, as you were Sorted into Slytherin. You matter not to the man. You are free._

He smiled softly into the night air as he walked down the roadside. The girl was still beside him.

_Pull out your wand._

She disappeared as a bus took her spot with a crackle of displaced air. The Knight Bus was not something Harry expected as he fell back. A glint of dark eyes drew his attention to the shadows as cast from the streetlight refracted around the vehicle. A large dog, a grim in the Wizarding World, crouched in the shadows. As the greeter descended the bus stairs, the dog shifted farther into the dark and disappeared from Harry's vision.

~~~~o~~~~

_They can't hurt you if you don't let them._

The black figures descended upon the cart and swarmed Harry. The demented feelings they drew from the boy's body faded as his emotions disappeared. The girl was next to him, her skin almost touching his. The almost-professor jerked from his sleep as his own memories were drawn in pain-filled gasps. He cast a spell, and the cloaked figures were chased from the carriage by a swath of light.

_He can help, but he will also bring attention to you. Choose what you want, Harry. I can't help you with this decision._

The man's gaze was flat as he stared at Harry, still emotionless even with the lack of dark creatures. Harry sat and picked up his book as the girl left. He told the man, "No, thank you," when offered chocolate.

~~~~o~~~~

_The creatures are scared of you._

Indeed, though they were surrounding Harry and the man he stood over; their drawing of emotions wasn't working. Only the man was shivering. "Leave," Harry demanded, holding up a hand. The darkness and fog pulled away as a full moon glistened through the trees.

_He's your godfather. Matters may be complicated. Again, Harry, I am unable to make this choice for you. He will make an offer; it is your decision whether or not to accept it. _

The man's trembling faded along with the girl. Weeks later, when he asked if Harry would live with him, Harry declined the offer.

~~~~o~~~~

Age 14

_You will win this._

Harry walked between the wall and the table, his nondescript robes tight around his body. Most of the student population was unaware he was around them, as few recognized the boy they had seen Sorted three years before. He was quiet and never spoke in class, and only completed everything in silence. The professors, too, sometimes forgot Harry was even present.

A protest surrounded the head table as the professors argued, eventually moving their talk to the room Harry was forced to enter. She matched him stride for stride, light to his dark, equal in height and stature.

_They will protest, and you will be challenged, but you were meant to win this tournament. It is for your own gain, and you will become real once more. Remember your strength, Harry, for it will be tested._

As the other champions protested and the teachers stared at him in shock and vague remembrance, she was gone from Harry's sight and mind. He was alone once more, alone in a filled room.

~~~~o~~~~

_The pain is mental._

With that, Harry gasped and threw his emotions away forcefully. The curse he was under snapped and rebounded to its caster. Voldemort screamed once as his own spell attacked him. A brisk motion ended the Cruciatus as the Death Eaters closed in on the duo.

_You are the same, Harry. Nothing he does can harm you as long as you remain yourself._

Harry noticed Voldemort's eyes tracking the girl's movements as she wandered between grave stones, approaching the couple. The man flung up an opaque shell between the fighters and his Death Eaters. The girl walked through it and stood at Harry's side, grey eyes evaluating the returned Dark Lord.

_Harry is mine._

Voldemort's eyes widened as he heard her. Harry's face was plain as usual, her mental intrusions dismissed. She disappeared, and Voldemort's shield fell as well. The portkey-cup was Summoned to Harry, who disappeared from the graveyard and fell to the ground at the edge of the maze.

~~~~o~~~~

Age 15

_They don't care. _

He agreed with her. Harry was surrounded by the Order of the Phoenix, and yet none paid him any attention. His small claim of the Dark Lord's return had him pulled from the Dursleys and into the townhouse. The proclaimed light faction of the war argued over what was to happen next.

_You are a tool, nothing more and nothing less. You are important, Harry, but not as a person. Their manipulations will be unsuccessful and you will remain independent and as strong as you have been as you grew up. Be yourself, Harry._

The heartless boy stood from the dinner table without a word and left the basement, climbing through the house and up to the attic where his trunk and bed resided. With a nudge of thought, his trunk packed itself and shrunk. He tucked it into a pocket and spun on the spot, disappearing without a sound.

~~~~o~~~~

_It is a lie._

Harry believed her. The prophecy seemed false, and the fact it was stated by Trelawney just supported the girl's claim. Harry watched as Dumbledore's memory returned to the pensive. As Dumbledore stared over his half-moon spectacles at the petite Slytherin, Harry stood.

_You are better than he is, and the castle respects you, Harry. Use Hogwarts to your advantage._

The wards in place around the door crumbled as Harry pulled the wooden obstacles open. He ignored the Headmaster's orders to stop and descended the staircase that spiraled under his feet. The gargoyles bowed at his passage, as did each portrait, statue, and suit of armor. His belongings appeared at his side as Harry and the girl left the castle. Upon their exit, the girl disappeared and Harry strode off to the forest.

His path was clear even as professors spread out to search for him.

"You will be yourself, Harry," a figure stated.

He turned and saw the girl was next to him, a wand tucked behind one ear and partly hidden underneath pale hair. She was real?

She stepped directly before Harry, glancing up into his eyes with the inch or two height differences. "Goodbye, Harry Potter," she told him. Her hands rose and cupped his face, angling his mouth down as her own rose to his.

Lips met for a moment in a gentle touch. The girl vanished.

~~~~o~~~~

"Hello, Harry Potter."

Twenty years had passed. The Wizarding World was peaceful, the people ignoring the small scuffles as others tried to take the Dark Lord's place. After striking Voldemort in the back with a well-laid curse, the man died and Harry hid away, alone.

Harry glanced up from one of his many text books. Since he had never taken the tests, he studied on his own, eventually passing them and becoming a professor in his own right. However, none learned from him, so deep in seclusion Harry was. "Hi," he murmured, closing one book and replacing it with another. She leaned against the table and stared forward into Harry's eyes.

"You're doing well."

"Yes, I can imagine so," he replied. The book held no interest; he sent it back to its shelf with an impatient flick of a finger. The object's journey was watched by the girl. Woman, now, Harry reflected. She straitened and glanced away from Harry.

"Take care of yourself."

"And you," Harry replied. She disappeared.

* * *

I'm not sure what to think of this, only that it's more emotionally detached than any of my other fics. Will you review? Methinks so. Question: Do _you_ know who the girl is?

~Deso


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